The Town of Cats
by beegene
Summary: Eugene and Yasuhara are preparing for their wedding. [Yasune set five years after the end of SPR Gym and Recreational Center]
1. Chapter 1

"Osamu, we don't have to invite them," Eugene placed his hand on the small of his fiance's back in an effort to be comforting. "Yes, they're your parents but it's okay if you're not comfortable with it."

"Ugh!" Yasuhara buried his face in his hands. "I'm just so tired of them acting this way! Ever since I told them we were getting married they have been pretending like they're okay with everything but they still won't _talk to me_!"

Eugene sat next to his fiance on the couch and pulled him closer.

"I know," he said softly, "We don't have to make a decision right now. It's okay."

Yasuhara melted into Eugene's arms.

Ever since he and Eugene had begun dating back when they were still at the gym, he had been struggling with the anxiety of being in his first serious relationship. When he had finally worked up the courage to begin talking to his parents again, he was surprised at how easily they seemed to welcome him back. At the time it had seemed too good to be true. Now, he knew that it definitely _was_ too good to be true.

"Hey, remember when you graduated from college?" Eugene asked, pressing his chin into Yasuhara's hair.

Yasuhara gave a light chuckle.

"Of course I remember when I graduated college, Eugene."

"Do you remember who came to see your graduation ceremony? How my mother and father and brother all came to use the tickets you got for your family?"

Yasuhara nodded, nuzzling further into his fiance's chest.

"So, no matter what your parents do or do not say to you, you already have a family."

"Why do you have to be so perfect?"

Eugene laughed and kissed the top of Yasuhara's head. The two sat there, cuddled up on the couch until the peaceful silence was broken by the ringing of Yasuhara's phone.

Yasuhara moved to dig the phone out of his pocket and Eugene stopped him.

"Let it ring, it can't be that important."

"It might be Mai calling about the cake! That's important!"

Eugene heaved a dramatic sigh as Yasuhara moved to answer the phone.

Instead of answering immediately, Yasuhara stared dumbfounded at the caller ID.

"What's wrong?" Eugene asked, sitting up straight to see the screen.

"I think it's my father," Yasuhara wasn't even trying to mask his disbelief. He was sure that he wouldn't hear from his parents again, they had seemed intent on ignoring his engagement so far…

"You don't have to answer it if you aren't ready," Eugene said, placing a comforting hand on Yasuhara's thigh.

Yasuhara shook his head indignantly and answered his phone.

"Hello?"

He stood up and began pacing the room, his face looking ashen as he listened to his father's voice on the phone.

"Are you serious?"

Eugene looked concerned at his fiance on the phone. Yasuhara had yet to hang up the phone angrily so maybe the call was going alright.

"I mean, I guess that would be okay. I'd like to talk to Eugene first."

Yasuhara offered Eugene a meager grin in response to his obviously confused expression.

"Okay. Bye."

Eugene looked at Yasuhara expectantly.

"My…" Yasuhara ran his hands through his hair, trying to comprehend the conversation he just had. "My parents want us to come stay with them for the weekend."

Eugene failed to hide his shock.

"Why in the world would they want that?"

Yasuhara shrugged as he sat back down on the couch.

" My father said that they just want to get to know you," Yasuhara was still trying to comprehend his father's words. "It sounds as though he actually wants to try to start over."

Eugene hummed, leaning back into the couch.

"Do you think he's sincere?"

"He sounded like he was."

Yasuhara cuddled back into his fiance's chest.

"What are you thinking?" Eugene asked, pulling Yasuhara close to him once again.

"What if they're lying?" Yasuhara grimaced. "They're politicians, known for saying one thing just to please the crowd and thinking something completely different."

"We don't have to go if you don't want to." Eugene pressed another quick kiss to his fiance's brow as he said this. "I don't want to see you hurt again."

"Let's sleep on it, yeah?"

X~X~X

"Why are we doing this again, Mai?"

"Why not?"

Oliver frowned. "That's not always an answer, dear."

"Because your brother needed help with his wedding and we're their closest friends!"

"But do we have to pick their cake? That seems like a romantic couple activity." Oliver crossed his arms as they stopped in front of the bakery door. "They should at least choose their own cake."

Mai turned to face her boyfriend, her hands finding her hips.

"Yasuhara is busy with his job! He's in the middle of researching for a case! His client sounds really hard to deal with. This is the least we can do to help speed along the wedding planning."

"Couldn't Gene have at least come with us?"

"Gene's busy too! Doing… Science… Stuff?"

Oliver smirked.

"You still have no idea what my brother's job is, do you?"

Mai shook her head, "Nope! And I don't really want to know because it sounds incredibly boring!"

Oliver chuckled at his girlfriend's silliness and reached to open the door to the bakery.

When they walked in they were immediately greeted by an employee.

"Hello! How are you?"

Mai smiled brightly.

"Fine! I'm Mai Taniyama, I believe we have an appointment under the name 'Davis'."

"Yes, come right this way. My name is Amanda, I'm going to be helping you during the appointment. Are you getting excited for the big day?"

Mai blushed.

"Oh, erm, I am but we're not — He's not… I mean we are but—"

"The cake is for my twin brother's wedding. Mai and I are dating but we aren't the ones getting married," he paused. "This time, anyway."

This only served to deepen Mai's blush as Amanda gave Mai a meaningful look.

"Alright, well, my apologies." She smiled at Oliver and Mai in turn. "Is there a reason the couple couldn't make it today?"

Oliver nodded.

"They were busy with work and other aspects of wedding planning so we offered to help so that they wouldn't have to cancel the appointment. They gave us a list of flavor preferences to reference."

"I see!" Amanda led them to a small sitting area. "I reckon your taste buds are identical to your twin's as well?"

Oliver smirked at the absurd assumption.

"Not in the slightest, but I've lived with him long enough to know his tastes."

"Right. And Gene's groom has been a good friend of mine for a long time so I feel confident in my ability to speak for his tastes," Mai explained.

Amanda smiled.

"Oh, that's sweet! Did the couple introduce you?"

Mai and Oliver shared a quick glance.

"No," Oliver explained. "We actually all worked together at the old gym."

"Oh really?" The woman suddenly seemed interested. "The one that closed down?"

Mai nodded.

"I've heard rumors about that place! Some say that it might be haunted."

"Oh, gosh, I can't believe that…" Mai laughed. "Sure it was an old building but a ghost?"

"It's more likely than you think." Oliver leaned forward in his chair. "There was a paranormal group there a few days ago with SPR."

Mai looked skeptical. "SPR?"

"The Society for Psychical Research." Oliver explained.

"Why have you been keeping up with the ghost news?" Mai knitted her eyebrows as she awaited an explanation.

Oliver shrugged.

"That's strange, too, that the ghost people are called the same initials as the gym."

Oliver gave her a confused look.

"The ghost people?"

"SPR, the psychic research or whatever. The gym was called SPR Gym and Recreational Center!"

"Oh, that's funny, I didn't even realize." He shook his head. "Anyway! Shouldn't we be getting to the cake tasting?"

X~X~X

Yasuhara and Eugene had spent the rest of the afternoon determined not to talk about the call from Yasuhara's father. However, when the phone rang again later that evening, Yasuhara jumped at the tone and was momentarily afraid to see who it was.

He heaved a great sigh of relief when he saw _**Mai GIRL** _on the caller ID.

"Hey, Mai!" he answered, loud enough so that Eugene could hear and know who it was.

Mai told him that she and Oliver had just finished their appointment at the bakery and that the shop had let them take a few of their favorite samples to-go so that Yasuhara and Eugene could make the final cake decision.

"Oh, Mai! You know I suck at making decisions!" Yasuhara groaned.

"Yeah, but I thought you'd be glad about free cake!"

Yasuhara paused for a moment, considering.

"You're absolutely right, come on over."

Mai laughed, "See you in a few!"

Yasuhara set his phone back on the table and called to his fiance in the other room.

"Eugene, Mai and your brother are coming over!"

Eugene appeared, pouting. He had been taking a nap in the other room, having finalized an outline of their remaining wedding funds and was now stood in the doorway without a shirt.

"Aw, why? We just saw them yesterday…"

"They're bringing cake samples," Yasuhara said, attempting to persuade Eugene in the way Mai had persuaded him only moments ago.

"Okay, you got me. I can put on a shirt for free cake."

"That's my guy."

Eugene disappeared again to the bedroom to get dressed and returned moments later, taking a seat next to Yasuhara on the couch.

"Talking of cake, have you found any more cake design ideas?" he asked, scooting closer to peek at Yasuhara's laptop screen.

"Yeah, I was looking at this one earlier…" Yasuhara moved to an open tab to show Eugene a picture he had kept open.

The picture was of a beautiful, simplistic cake. It was three tiered white cake with grey piping around the bases of all three levels. The second tier was covered in small grey dots.

"I was thinking we could do something like this that is really simple and then maybe have flowers like this on it." Yasuhara opened another tab to show a second picture of a cake with tiny yellow flowers placed delicately about the different layers.

"I like it!" Eugene declared, swooping in to peck Yasuhara on the cheek for emphasis. "I think it's super cute and classy."

There was a gentle knock on the door and both men stood up to go greet Mai and Oliver.

"Hey!" Mai beamed at them. "How is everything?"

Yasuhara smiled, taking the box of cake samples from Mai so that she could remove her jacket.

"Fine," he said. "We were just looking at my ideas for the cake design!"

"Oh, have you settled on anything, yet?"

Yasuhara nodded. "Yeah, I think we've finally found something we like. Wanna see?"

Yasuhara led Mai and Oliver back to the living room where his laptop was sitting on the coffee table. He set the cake samples down and picked up his laptop, holding it up and turning so that Oliver and Mai could see the screen.

"See, I think we're going to use this cake design and then decorate it with flowers like this so it matches the color scheme better."

Oliver nodded in silent approval.

"Cute!" Mai smiled. "So I think we've found some good options for cake, we had the lady pack up all the ones we liked the best."

She opened the box and pointed to indicate each flavor in turn as she introduced them.

"These two are plain vanilla, one is sweeter and one is more dense. And then we chose a few with different filling flavors to try just in case you want something more unique." She indicated a few smaller pieces of cake. "That one is a white cake with orange filling, the lady said that this was a popular flavor for spring. This is a white cake with raspberry filling, and this one," she nodded her head towards Oliver, "Was Naru's pick. It's white cake with matcha green tea flavored filling."

Eugene excused himself to the kitchen and returned a few moments later with two forks.

"You said the tea flavor was your favorite, Noll?" Eugene laughed. "No surprises there."

Oliver frowned.

"I thought you might like it because you're both of Japanese heritage," he explained. "It's meaningful, 'cute' even, _and_ it's tea flavored."

Yasuhara chuckled at Oliver's use of the word 'cute' as he used his fork to cut the matcha cake sample in half.

"Cheers!" Eugene laughed as he picked his half of the small sample up with the fork.

Oliver smirked at Yasuhara and Eugene's reaction to the cake he had chosen. Judging from their expressions, they seemed to like it very much.

"So are you all going to quit doubting my taste now?"

* * *

 ** _hello! I don't really know what to say about this other than I hope you enjoy it! if you haven't figured it out by now, this will be a sort of sequel to SPR Gym and Recreational Center, but it will read as a stand-alone too! just don't be confused by the fact that the characters reference working in a Gym... thank you to Hannah and Katie for beta-ing this story! please rate and review if you don't mind!_**

 ** _love, Bee_**


	2. Chapter 2

Eugene adjusted his reading glasses as he attempted to read over a data analysis for work. He was preoccupied with thoughts of the wedding and of the phone call from Yasuhara's parents. He wondered whether Yasuhara truly wanted to take his parents up on their offer to come and visit.

Eugene turned as he heard a key in the lock of the front door.

"Hey!" Yasuhara set his work bag down on the couch and pressed a quick kiss to Eugene's cheek. "Whatcha reading?"

Eugene sighed, "Boring work stuff."

"Boring?" Yasuhara laughed. "But you love viruses!"

"Boring for you, I mean," Eugene clarified. "It's just fine for me."

"You sound like your brother," Yasuhara chuckled and then said in a perfect imitation of Oliver, "My mind works differently than yours."

Eugene gave Yasuhara a pointed look as he joined him on the couch.

"You're in a good mood," Eugene commented.

Yasuhara smiled, scooting closer to his fiance on the couch.

"G?" He took Eugene's hand in his. "I think I've decided."

Eugene took off his reading glasses and set them on the coffee table atop the paper he was reading.

"Oh?"

"I want to see my parents."

Eugene nodded slowly.

"Okay," he brought Yasuhara's hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to his knuckles. "If you're sure that's what you want."

"I am," Yasuhara assured. "I want to at least give them one more chance."

X~X~X

Are you absolutely sure about this?" Eugene placed a hand on the small of Yasuhara's back and stopped him before he closed the back of the car. "You're sure they're sincere?"

Yasuhara slammed down the trunk door resolutely and then paused to consider, leaning back into Eugene's touch.

"I'm hopeful," he decided. "I think that they're sincere and I want to give them a chance."

Eugene nodded, satisfied, and leaned over to kiss Yasuhara's cheek.

Eugene was determined to be supportive, even though he had his doubts.

"If we suspect anything, we can always leave," Eugene said, sliding into the passenger seat of Yasuhara's car.

Yasuhara nodded, but said nothing.

It broke Eugene's heart to see how much Yasuhara wanted his parents to support him. He vowed that if Yasuhara's parents were lying, they would have him to deal with.

Yasuhara turned on a podcast that he'd been listening to lately that covered different topics surrounding science and culture. The episode he had chosen first was about viruses.

"For you," he grinned at his fiance. "I saved all the Virology episodes because I know how much of a bitch you are for viruses."

"Yeah, not like it's my job or anything…"

Yasuhara raised an eyebrow, tempting Eugene to complain.

"Thank you," Eugene laughed. "You're so thoughtful."

"More like it." Yasuhara turned the volume up as the advert at the beginning of the episode came to an end.

The couple listened to several podcasts as they drove, Eugene occasionally pausing to expand on particularly interesting points that he knew more about from his studies.

As hours passed them by, Yasuhara and Eugene were reminded of how much they truly loved being in each other's company. They were able to make the most boring drive enjoyable, and that is what they wanted their lives to be like for years to come.

It was nearly midnight before Yasuhara pulled his car into the driveway of his parents' new home. He double-checked the address on his phone before turning the car off.

"I've never been here before," he explained, though he really had no need to do so.

Eugene smiled, taking his fiance's hand in his.

"You okay?" he asked, squeezing Yasuhara's hand gently. "We can wait out here until you're ready to go in."

"Thank you." Yasuhara leaned his head back onto the headrest and sighed before carefully letting go of Eugene's hand. "I'm ready," he decided. "It's been a long enough drive."

Eugene nodded and opened his car door as Yasuhara did the same. He ran around the front of the car to walk next to his fiance to the front door of the house.

"I'm going to be okay." Yasuhara proclaimed, more to himself than Eugene.

"I know." Eugene placed a hand on the small of Yasuhara's back and led him to the doorstep. "I'll even drive you home if things go wrong!"

Yasuhara laughed in spite of himself.

"You'll do no such thing."

Yasuhara took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.

The door opened to reveal Yasuhara's father. Eugene moved his hand from Yasuhara's back and reached his hand out for Mr. Yasuhara to shake.

"Osamu!" Mr. Yasuhara smiled, his teeth were startlingly white and straight. "Come in, please."

"Father," Yasuhara squeaked, taking a step into the doorway. "This is Eugene. My fiance."

"How are you, Eugene?" Mr. Yasuhara beamed.

"Fine. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Yasuhara."

"Please, call me Joichi. Now, come sit down! My wife is making tea for us right now!" Yasuhara's father led them to a sitting room off the main entryway and gestured for them to sit.

"So," he looked at Yasuhara. "How is the wedding planning going?"

"Um," Yasuhara looked stunned. He was a bit taken aback by the polite conversation. He had half-expected his father would have a political debate with him on the front porch before he was even allowed in. "Fine. We finally chose a bakery to make the cake."

"Good, good." Joichi looked away from them and turned to face the kitchen. "Akiko? Our son is here!"

"Coming!" called a muffled voice from the kitchen.

A few moments later, a small woman, Yasuhara's mother, appeared carrying a tray with a teapot and four cups.

"Hello," she nodded at Eugene as she set the tray down on the coffee table. "I'm Osamu's mother Akiko. You're David?"

Eugene frowned.

"No… I'm Eugene Davis."

"Oh!" Akiko blushed. "I'm sorry, I must have heard Davis and thought David. I'm sorry!"

Eugene laughed awkwardly.

"It's okay. It's nice to meet you, Ma'am."

Akiko served the tea, filling her husband's cup first, then Eugene's and Yasuhara's. She sat down before finally pouring her own cup.

They sat in silence for a moment, sipping their tea politely.

"So," Yasuhara attempted to break the silence. "How has everything been here?"

Joichi set his cup down gently.

"Quite well!" He leaned back in his seat. "I am on the campaign trail for Mayor now, and that's looking good."

"That's good." Yasuhara looked down at his reflection in the tea, unsure of how to continue the conversation.

"Osamu, we were actually hoping that you two would come to a press luncheon with us tomorrow." Joichi smiled at Yasuhara and Eugene in turn, awaiting their reply. "I understand it is sudden, but we will make it up to you afterwards." he added quickly.

Yasuhara nodded.

"I'm sure that would be fine," he looked at Eugene. "Right, G?"

"Sure." Eugene finished his tea and set his cup down. "It's been a long drive, would you mind showing us to our room?"

Joichi looked pleased.

"Of course! Thank you for being so understanding."

Akiko stood up.

"Your rooms are right this way." She grinned at them as she set her tea cup back on the tray.

Yasuhara stood and he and Eugene followed his mother down a hallway. This was the first time he had been in his parent's new home. Granted, the home was not exactly 'new'. They had been living there for most of the six years since Yasuhara had last been on speaking terms with them.

"Here are the guest bedrooms," Akiko indicated two doors at the end of the hall. "So Osamu, you have this one and Eugene can have that one. I trust you'll be using separate rooms, after all. " She gave Eugene a look that seemed, to him, less than friendly but Yasuhara did not seem to notice. "I'll let you get settled."

Eugene waited until Akiko was out of earshot before he leaned in close to Yasuhara and whispered, "She wants us to sleep in separate rooms?"

Yasuhara shrugged.

"I mean, at least they're acknowledging that we are a couple…"

"I want to sleep in the same bed." Eugene pouted. "We're engaged. I think we are allowed to sleep in the same bed."

Yasuhara ignored him.

"Let's go get our stuff, yeah?"

Eugene reluctantly followed after his fiance back to the front door and out to the car. He took his duffel and stacked it atop Yasuhara's rolling bag so that he could carry them both. Yasuhara grabbed their spare pillows and his laptop bag and lead the way back inside.

"Oh, how sweet." Joichi was in the front hall, watching them carry in their belongings. "Eugene is a perfect gentleman, carrying in the bags for Osamu."

Eugene was slightly put off by his condescending tone, but chose to ignore it for his fiance's sake.

"I got the pillows!" Yasuhara laughed nervously before scrambling through the door to his guest bedroom.

Eugene deposited Yasuhara's bag on the floor just inside the door.

"I guess I'll take my stuff over to my room…"

"Yeah," Yasuhara agreed.

"Ugh." Eugene took his bag and stomped away as he did not receive the answer he was wanting.

He set his duffle bag on the bed and sighed, looking around his guest bedroom. It was a small square, painted light blue and decorated with several shelves of miniature figurines of angels and small children. Wonderful. He could not share a room with his fiance, but he could share his room with the angel Gabriel a hundred times over.

There was a light knock on his door.

"Come in."

"Hey," Yasuhara leaned against the doorframe. "Are you okay?"

Eugene's frustration deflated. He had to be happy for Yasuhara's sake.

"I'm fine." He managed a small grin. "I should be asking you that."

Yasuhara moved to sit on the edge of Eugene's bed.

"I'm okay," Yasuhara admitted. "Everything seems to be going well so far."

Eugene leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Yasuhara's forehead.

"I love you," he whispered, his lips ghosting against Yasuhara's skin. "And I am willing to do anything to make sure that you are happy." He looked about the room, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Even if I have to sleep in a room with a hundred tiny angels."

Yasuhara made eye contact with one of the small cupid statues on the dresser across from him.

"You can sneak into my room tonight," he said in a low voice, as if he were afraid to be caught.

"Oooh," Eugene teased. "Sexy!"

"Shut up!"

Eugene raised an eyebrow.

"Since we're acting stereotypically romantic here…" Eugene leaned in close. "Make me."

He pressed his lips to Yasuhara's in a much needed kiss. Yasuhara was hesitant at first, but quickly relented, giving in to Eugene.

"You're perfect," Yasuhara pulled away from the kiss and looked into Eugene's eyes. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"I'm not perfect, Osamu." Eugene placed his hands on Yasuhara's shoulders. "Just pretty damn close." He pulled Yasuhara towards him again, punctuating his quip with another kiss.

Yasuhara looked dazed. As long as they had been together, Eugene still surprised him, still made him feel excited. That was how he knew that he wanted to get married. He wanted it to be like this forever.

* * *

 _ **hello! I really, really want to just publish this whole story all at once but I can't :^/**_  
 _ **thank you to Hannah, Kel, and Katie for being my beta readers (there are multiple because I couldn't wait for people to read it oops)**_  
 _ **please rate and review if you don't mind!**_

 _ **Love, Bee**_


	3. Chapter 3

"Mmm…" Eugene groaned, trying to pull the blanket back from Yasuhara, but finding that his fiance's grip was too strong. "Osamu…"

"Hm?" Yasuhara opened one eye but quickly closed it.

"You're hogging the covers," Eugene tugged again and Yasuhara allowed him to reclaim his share of the blanket.

"Sorry." Yasuhara turned to his side so that he could lay on Eugene's chest.

Eugene put an arm around Yasuhara's back and held him closer.

"I'll forgive you." He pressed a sleepy kiss to the top of Yasuhara's head.

Yasuhara smiled contentedly as he began drifting back to sleep.

Eugene had begun dozing again but was startled by a sharp knock on the bedroom door.

"Osamu?" It was Yasuhara's mother.

 _Shit._

Eugene sat up, stirring Yasuhara from his shallow sleep.

"Babe," he whispered. "Up."

Yasuhara jumped out of bed as he realized the situation and scrambled to the door.

"You shared a bed." Akiko frowned, not giving Yasuhara any time to say anything.

"I'm sorry," Yasuhara's voice was shaking. "We just—"

Akiko's face broke into a wide grin.

"Just make sure it doesn't happen again!"

"Um," Eugene grimaced as Akiko closed the door again. "That was an abrupt emotional shift."

Yasuhara frowned down at his feet.

"Are you okay?" Eugene stood, running a nervous hand through his hair.

Yasuhara nodded.

"I'm just not used to this anymore."

"We can leave," Eugene sounded serious. "It will only take five minutes to pack our clothes from last night."

"It's okay!" Yasuhara forced a smile. "Really, it's just all a little strange, that's all."

Eugene did not look convinced.

"I'm serious." Yasuhara began rummaging through his things to find clothes to wear to breakfast.

Eugene said nothing as he slipped out the door and went to his own room. He began to throw on clothes from his suitcase, with little regard for how he would look. He was preoccupied with Yasuhara. Something was bound to go wrong. Why would Yasuhara want to stick around to see the bad thing happen?

"Hey," Yasuhara pushed Eugene's door open gently and smiled. "Breakfast is ready."

Eugene nodded, patting his hair down to get it to lay flat.

Eugene followed Yasuhara down the hallway and through a broad archway into a carefully decorated dining room. The table was set with a breakfast spread of bacon, eggs, toast, and little bowls of oatmeal. There were cups of orange juice in four matching glasses next to four pink plates.

Yasuhara and Eugene took their seats across from Joichi and Akiko.

"Let's pray," Joichi declared. "Osamu, would you say grace?"

Yasuhara blanched.

"Oh, um." He bowed his head, unsure of what to say. "Thank you, God, for this food and day. Um, amen."

"Please eat," Akiko gave a thin-lipped smile. "You're both too thin."

Yasuhara laughed nervously as he stirred his oatmeal. He had never really been a breakfast person, especially since he had stopped working at SPR Gym and Recreational Center and could actually sleep in past four in the morning.

Akiko gave Yasuhara a look and he forced himself to take a bite of his oatmeal. She smiled contentedly.

Eugene tucked into his eggs. He was always hungry, no matter what time of day. He took a break from eating to stifle a yawn.

"Do you have any coffee?" Yasuhara asked, part to break the silence and part because he knew his fiance could not go a day without a cup of coffee in the morning.

Akiko looked shocked, like she had been asked whether she would be serving a wasp nest with breakfast rather than a simple pot of coffee.

"You need your Vitamin C." She indicated their orange juice. "Coffee stunts your growth."

"Well," Eugene smiled sweetly. "That hardly matters because Osamu and I are grown men!"

Yasuhara gave him a look.

"Orange juice is fine, though," Eugene added, returning his attention to buttering his toast. "If anyone understands the importance of a strong immune system, it's me."

Joichi gave a confused look.

"Eugene's a virologist," Yasuhara explained. "He studies viruses and contagion."

Akiko nodded, though she did not look very impressed.

Eugene picked up his glass, smiling brightly, and took a long drink of orange juice.

"I just can't get enough of this Vitamin C," he mumbled as he set his glass down again.

Yasuhara took loud bite of his overdone toast.

"Well!" Joichi interjected, swallowing a bite of eggs. "I wanted to ask whether you two brought dress shirts that you could wear to the luncheon."

"Oh, um," Yasuhara glanced down at his t-shirt, suddenly self-conscious. "I don't think I planned for any formal events." He glanced to Eugene. "Did you, G?"

Eugene swallowed.

"No."

Eugene caught Akiko giving him a dirty look and she quickly looked away.

"That's fine!" Joichi laced his fingers together in front of him. "You may borrow two of mine." His tone was vaguely condescending of Eugene and Yasuhara's lack of a business casual wardrobe.

Eugene and Yasuhara nodded together.

"I'll be excused." Joichi stood, leaving Eugene and Yasuhara alone with his wife.

The three ate slowly, almost afraid to move in the dense silence.

Yasuhara wanted to place a reassuring hand on Eugene's leg or take his hand and squeeze it in his but he was afraid of what his mother would say.

After a few minutes of excruciating silence, Joichi returned with two dress shirts. One pink and one yellow.

"Here you are," He held out the shirts, assuming that Yasuhara and Eugene were done eating. "Go get changed?"

They jumped up from the table, not wanting to seem like they were protesting. Yasuhara took both shirts and, after some deliberation, handed the yellow one to Eugene. They retreated to the hallway, Eugene going into the bathroom to shower, while Yasuhara went straight to his room, having showered the night before.

Once Eugene and Yasuhara had finished showering and getting changed, they appeared before Joichi and Akiko, looking like the President and Treasurer of a Young Republicans Club.

Akiko regarded the two men silently before giving a terse nod of approval.

"You both should brush your hair before we leave," she added, though she was only looking at Eugene.

Eugene forced a smile as he turned away and walked toward the guest bathroom. He was honestly not sure how Yasuhara could have possibly grown up in this household. He also failed to comprehend why Yasuhara still wanted to stick around. Had his parents been even _more_ controlling before than they are now?

Yasuhara used a tiny bit of water from the sink to get his unruly hair to do what he wanted it to.

"G?" Yasuhara bumped Eugene with his hip.

Eugene raised his eyebrow in question.

"Are you mad about something?" Yasuhara's voice was low and Eugene could hear the control in his tone as he was trying hard not to color his voice with emotion.

Eugene frowned. He was not exactly 'mad' about 'something'. He was genuinely upset and worried for his fiance.

"I don't think this was a good idea," he admitted. "Something just doesn't feel right to me."

"Eugene," Yasuhara sounded like he was about to cry. "They're trying. Could you at least try to be a little bit nicer to them?"

Eugene was taken aback.

"Me?" he asked incredulously. "I should be nicer to them?" He covered his face with his hands for a moment in frustration. "Osamu something isn't right about this, your mother hates me, for one! And, for two, we're all dressed up to go luncheon with several members of the Republican party! You know, the people that don't like gays or women's rights or anything beyond the stone age?!"

Yasuhara grimaced and Eugene lowered his voice.

"We are two gay men that are _engaged_ to be _married_ and you want to go rub elbows with all the people who have voted against our right to do so?"

Yasuhara's frown deepened and he was silent for a few moments at Eugene's outburst.

"If that's how you feel, then you don't have to go."

"No, I —" Eugene looked shocked. "Osamu, you know that's not what I meant."

"It's how you feel," Yasuhara accused. "You don't care about whether my parents like you or not."

Eugene almost laughed out loud.

"Do you?"

"I care that they're trying."

"Trying?" This time Eugene did let out a bitter laugh. "They're trying to like me about as much as I'm trying to make a hole in my shoe. They wouldn't like me if I found the cure for cancer! They're—"

"Eugene," Yasuhara scolded. "Stop."

"I'm sorry." Eugene looked vaguely guilty. "Look, we can go to this luncheon thing if you're comfortable with it."

"I am."

"I just really hope that I'm wrong."

Yasuhara crossed his arms against his chest, trying to hide his shaking hands.

"I hope so too."

* * *

 _ **hey, friends! this is just getting sad but I hope you can forgive me bc I gave you early morning cuddles.**_  
 _ **thank you to Hannah, Kel, and Katie for beta reading!**_  
 _ **please, please rate and review if you have the time, I'm really proud of this story and I want people to read it.**_

 _ **Love, Bee**_


	4. Chapter 4

"Hello!" Joichi Yasuhara was all smiles as he entered the church lobby where the luncheon was to be held.

The Yasuharas, and Eugene, were fashionably late.

A man in a smart tweed jacket came to greet Joichi and Akiko, looking incredibly excited to see them.

"Mr. Underwood, I would like to introduce you to my son Osamu." Joichi nodded toward Yasuhara as he shook Mr. Underwood's hand.

Mr. Underwood shook Yasuhara's hand eagerly, but continued to regard Joichi.

"I didn't know you had a son, Mr. Yasuhara," he said, glancing quickly at Eugene as if to ask why he was there.

"This is Eugene," Yasuhara took it upon himself to explain, "My… Partner."

Eugene was taken aback at Yasuhara's choice of words. They had never, not once, called the other their 'partner' in the entire relationship. Was Yasuhara ashamed of him?

"Glad to meet you." He faked a broad grin and went in to shake Mr. Underwood's hand.

"Partners in police work?" Mr. Underwood asked. "I was a policeman for twenty years!"

"Oh," Yasuhara shifted his feet nervously. "I'm a lawyer actually."

"Oh, I see!" Mr. Underwood smiled, wider yet. "Partners in law, then?"

"We're engaged," Eugene cut in, growing impatient. "We're getting married in two months."

Mr. Underwood tried in vain to hide his shocked expression.

Eugene watched him wipe the hand that had touched his on his jacket as if homosexuality were contagious.

"I'm a virologist," he commented, maintaining steady eye-contact. "You won't catch the gay, I promise."

Mr. Underwood blushed.

"Best of luck to you," he mumbled, turning on his heel and walking away as quickly as he could manage.

Joichi clapped a hand on Yasuhara's back and led him towards a table. Eugene started to follow them but Akiko blocked his way.

"Could you please try to be less embarrassing?"

Eugene opened his mouth and then closed it, not sure how to reply.

"I apologize," he forced a smile and rounded her to catch up to Yasuhara and Joichi.

Eugene caught up to Yasuhara and placed a hand lightly on his elbow.

"Are you ready to admit that this was a terrible idea?" he asked, no longer trying to hide his frown.

"So far I haven't met with anything I wasn't expecting," Yasuhara answered vaguely. "Our table is over there, come sit."

Eugene reluctantly followed.

"You didn't have to be rude to that guy back there." Yasuhara took a seat at the table near the front where his father had directed him to sit.

"Me?" Eugene was incredulous. "He wiped his hand on his jacket after touching me!"

Yasuhara shook his head.

"I just really want this to work out."

"I don't know what you mean," Eugene turned his seat to face Yasuhara's. "They literally think we are disgusting for existing. How could this possibly 'work out'?"

Yasuhara did not have a concrete answer.

"Exactly." Eugene's jaw tightened. "We are completely outside of their ideology. There is no way we're going to be accepted here, so we may as well just leave."

"I told you that you didn't have to come."

"Why?" Eugene was struggling to keep his voice low. "So you could come here and pretend to be straight? Would you rather pretend I don't exist, Osamu? Would you rather you were straight?"

Yasuhara paused, long enough for Eugene's face to fall.

"No!" Yasuhara exclaimed quickly. "I don't! Really! I just…"

"Forget it." Eugene's voice cracked as he said this. "Never mind." He turned his chair back to its original position and crossed his arms.

Joichi and Akiko took their seats across from Yasuhara and Eugene.

"Such a good turnout today!" Joichi commented, not noticing Eugene's forlorn expression. "I think we've raised quite a bit of money for the campaign!"

Yasuhara looked surprised.

"This is a fundraiser for your campaign?" he asked. "You didn't say that yesterday."

Joichi dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand.

"Are you going to speak?" Yasuhara pressed.

His father nodded.

"I will thank everyone for coming, yes." He glanced at his watch. "In fact, I should be doing that now." He stood and walked to a microphone placed at the front of the room.

"Hello, everyone!" Joichi spoke into the microphone, raising a hand to silence the crowd. "I would like to thank ya'll for coming to support me today."

The crowd tittered politely.

"I would like to also make a special announcement," he looked over at his table. "Osamu? Would you and your special friend come up here, please?"

"Special friend?" Eugene muttered in disbelief under his breath as he stood.

"This here," Joichi placed a hand on Yasuhara's shoulder. "Is my son, Osamu."

There was another quiet rumble of commentary from the crowd.

"He's visiting this week, and he has brought someone quite interesting with him, he continued, glancing at Eugene. "Eugene is Osamu's fiance."

There was a collective expression of surprise from the crowd.

"Now I know you all believe this-or-that. In fact, I would still count myself among the ones that believe in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman."

Eugene felt sick as he struggled to pay attention to what was being said.

"However," Joichi tightened his grip on Yasuhara's shoulder. "I would like to invite more people of the gay community to join my cause. I support my son, and I support the youth of this nation, and I am proud to announce that I will be attending his wedding."

"You weren't invited," Eugene whispered, frowning down at his shoes.

"What was that, Gene?" Joichi laughed.

Yasuhara took Eugene's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Eugene took this as a sign that he could repeat himself.

"I said that Osamu and I never invited you to the wedding," Eugene repeated, loud enough that the crowd could hear his reply.

Yasuhara tugged Eugene's hand and began to lead him off the stage.

"Oh, what a joker he is!" Joichi attempted to recover from Eugene's statement, forcing a tight-lipped smile. "I _cannot wait_ to have him as a part of my family."

Joichi continued to speak for a moment about the money being raised, as well as other events his campaign would sponsor. Eugene heard none of it, however, as he was still reeling from what Joichi had said before.

"Come on," Yasuhara tugged Eugene's hand again, trying to ignore glares from people across the room. "Let's go outside."

Once they were outside of the church building, Yasuhara pulled Eugene to a shady spot away from the doors and windows.

"That was awful," Yasuhara admitted.

"Really?" Eugene's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Because I tried to tell you that, oh, a hundred times? You're just now realizing?"

"Eugene," Yasuhara was unsure of how to respond.

"I love you," Eugene sounded as though he were going to cry. "And I want to be there for you, but that was really, really awful."

"We should leave." Yasuhara started toward their car.

"Finally, a sensible idea."

"I'm so sorry," Yasuhara took Eugene's hand again. "I should have listened to you."

Eugene said nothing.

Yasuhara opened the passenger side door and watched Eugene climb in. He thought of the first time they had gone out together, when he picked Eugene up in his tiny two-door car. He thought of how they had their first kiss outside of Eugene's house. He grimaced, remembering how he had run away from their co-workers instead of admitting that he and Eugene were on a date.

He realized all at once that he had just done the exact same thing, but this time it was much worse, because he had made a conscious effort to downplay their relationship. He had allowed his father to use his relationship as a tool to market to the LGBT+ community.

"Eugene," Yasuhara tried again. "I am really, really sorry. I feel terrible."

"You understand why I'm upset." Eugene did not meet Yasuhara's gaze.

"Of course I do," he put the car into reverse. "I didn't listen to you and I really should have. That was awful."

"Are we really just going to leave?" Eugene asked in a soft voice.

"What else are we going to do? I'm not going back in there."

"All of our stuff is still at your parents' house."

"Oh well." Yasuhara's mind was made up.

Eugene leaned back against his seat and the couple drove in silence. Yasuhara, having ignored several calls from both his parents, gave up on playing any music in the car and had turned his phone entirely off.

"This reminds me of a story I read once." Yasuhara finally broke the silence once they were nearly twenty minutes away from the church.

Eugene said nothing, so Yasuhara took this as a sign he could continue

"It was about a man who got off a train at the wrong stop, and the train left him in a foreign town." He shifted in his seat as he began to tell the story. "And this town was run entirely by cats."

Eugene looked confused.

"Cats?"

"I know, it'll make sense in a second," Yasuhara assured. "So, he finds this town and he hides, watching the cats live. He is so fascinated by the town of cats that he began to forget where he was going on the train in the first place. He wants to uncover the mysteries of how the cats go about their day-to-day existence. He becomes more comfortable as an outsider in the town of cats than a citizen of his own former home."

Eugene nodded.

"I see."

"I'm sorry," Yasuhara apologized again. "I got so caught up trying to understand my parents, that I forgot about the home I had already, with you."

"How does the story end?" Eugene asked softly.

"The train stops coming." Yasuhara's hands grip the wheel tightly. "He becomes so enthralled that he doesn't realize that he's lost his way home."

"Ah," Eugene reaches over and places a hand on Eugene's thigh, patting it gently. "But you found your way home."

Yasuhara nodded.

"And I'm so glad I did."

* * *

 _ **right! so, does the title make sense now? yay! okay so I got the idea for this fic from the book 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. there is a chapter where Tengo goes to visit his father and he reads the story of the town of cats on the train there. I have no idea if this is a real story or not but it served my purpose here just fine, thanks. if you're really salty about Yasuhara's literary exploits, just imagine he's read Murakami's book and has forgotten where the cat story comes from! (that book is, like, 1,000 pages long so if he misplaced a few bits in his memory, I wouldn't blame him)  
thank you so much to Hannah, Kel, and Katie for being betas!  
the next (and final) chapter will be up sometime in the next two days (I was planning to publish it today but idk I want to see if I can get more reviews/reads first)**_

 _ **ya'll hear that? more reviews = faster update  
and the next chapter is some cute mess too**_

 _ **please rate/review if you don't mind!**_

 ** _Love, Bee_**


	5. Chapter 5

Two months later…

John Brown stood in the middle of the arch in the Davises garden, before Yasuhara and Eugene. Since working in the SPR Gym daycare center, John had finished his degree at Seminary and become an ordained minister. He was overjoyed at the chance to officiate his friends' wedding after seeing them fall in love first hand.

"Now, the couple would like to read vows that they have written themselves. Osamu, would you be the first?"

Yasuhara pulled two pink index cards out of his pocket and began to read his vows.

"Eugene," he read. "I joke a lot about you being perfect. I swear, you always look better than me. You always know what to say, even when I don't want to listen, and you know how to make me feel joyful even at my worst. A few months ago, I was pining after a family and home that I never had. I was lost in a foreign town, longing to understand a life that I didn't even want. Eugene, you pulled me back. I realize, now, that I never needed that home, because I have one. As cheesy as it may sound, wherever you are is home for me. My heart is full as I look towards the life that I get to build with you."

Yasuhara sniffed, trying not to cry as he read these words out loud.

"I promise to love you and stay with you through everything life will throw at us. I promise to stay up with you late at night to watch movies, even if I've already seen the movie you want to watch."

This statement earned a laugh from the wedding guests.

"I promise to be with you when you are sick and when you are upset. Unless you're upset at me, then I will be in the other room until you are ready to talk."

He paused again to take a shaky breath.

"I love you with my whole heart, and I am so grateful to have you. Thank you for putting up with my terrible attempts at flirting when we first started dating. Thank you for being patient with me as I learned about what it meant to love myself and how to love someone else. Eugene Davis, you may not actually be perfect, but you are my favorite person on this planet, hands down. I love you."

* * *

 _ **hello! I hope you enjoyed this story! please don't burn me for not writing the wedding. I literally have two other wedding fics I'm working on (ahem, go read Eugene Davis Saves the Bees) so I'm a little wedding'd out.  
**_ _ **thank you so much to Hannah, Kel, and Katie for beta reading!  
**_ _ **  
**_ _ **please rate and review if you don't mind!**_

 _ **Love, Bee**_


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